Tusk ‘cautiously optimistic’ EU leaders will reach deal on top jobs

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, expressed “cautious optimism” that EU leaders would soon agree a slate of presidents for the bloc’s main institutions as doubts mounted over centre-right parties’ candidate to head the European Commission.

On the eve of a crucial summit in Brussels on Thursday Mr Tusk forced the pace of negotiations on the package of top jobs, trying to end a weeks-long stand-off between various political parties and member states.

Senior European officials involved in talks expect Mr Tusk to tell the summit dinner that Manfred Weber, the German MEP who is lead candidate of the conservative European People’s party, still lacks decisive support.

Mr Tusk is expected to note the steadfast opposition of a significant minority of EU leaders to Mr Weber — concerns publicly raised by France’s Emmanuel Macron. Mr Weber has also failed to secure backing from other parties in the European parliament.

“Tusk will be blunt,” said one adviser to an EU leader closely involved in deliberations. “That is how the first piece is played.”

During 48 hours of intensive calls with leaders, Mr Tusk began testing opinion on who would fill his own post, raising the names of several prime ministers from liberal parties. They include Charles Michel of Belgium, Denmark’s Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Xavier Bettel of Luxembourg.

Diplomats see the gambit as a chance to make space for a political deal, encouraging the EPP to consider bringing forward an alternative candidate to retain the commission, while directing the attention of Liberal and Socialist leaders to other positions.

The appointments are highly sensitive for the leaders around the summit table, not least because many of them covet the jobs themselves.

Just one civil servant will be present for the dinner discussion and phone signals will be blocked.

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who has so far backed Mr Weber, has this week declared it was “necessary” to reach a deal on the EU posts before the end of the month. But it remains unclear how forcefully she will continue to support Mr Weber and whether a second summit will be needed for the jobs deal to come together.

Ms Merkel is to meet Mr Macron on Thursday, one of a swirl of overlapping meetings and calls. “There is a desire to advance. Will there be an agreement tomorrow? I cannot say,” said one senior EU diplomat. “Is there a willingness to have a useful summit? Yes.”

One key question for the summit is whether a push to eliminate Mr Weber will also knock out other so-called Spitzenkandidaten from last month’s European elections, including Frans Timmermans, who spearheaded the Socialist campaign, and Margrethe Vestager of the liberals.

“If everyone sticks with the name they want, we will not get there, it applies not just to Mr Weber,” the diplomat added.

One parliament official said giving up on Mr Weber’s candidacy would be “a huge gamble” for the EPP and the European Parliament, which would lose its influence in the top jobs race.

Under EU rules, the European Council nominates a candidate for commission president who must then seek election by the parliament.

Should a deal prove impossible, deliberations are expected to contine at the G20 meeting in Japan next week, and at another summit at the end of June or early July.

“These consultations have shown that there are different views, different interests, but also a common will to finalise this process before the first session of the European Parliament [on July 2],” Mr Tusk said in a letter to EU leaders ahead of the summit.

“To this end, I will continue to consult you one by one up until the summit starts. I remain cautiously optimistic, as those I have spoken to have expressed determination to decide swiftly. I hope we can make it on Thursday.”

Reporting by Jim Brunsden, Mehreen Khan, Rochelle Toplensky and Alex Barker in Brussels